Harris County Flood Control District officials are looking for residents to provide input with their flood experiences during extreme weather events and how the county’s 11 watersheds have impacted their communities.
The big picture
Along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the HCFCD is spearheading Phase 1 of what’s being called the Solutions for Advancing Floodplain Evaluation and Resilience study. The SAFER study’s aim, according to HCFCD, is to evaluate and identify large-scale flood risk reduction projects across these 11 watersheds in Harris County:
- Brays Bayou
- Buffalo Bayou
- Clear Creek
- Cypress Creek
- Little Cypress Creek
- Greens Bayou
- Halls Bayou
- Hunting Bayou
- Sims Bayou
- Vince Bayou
- White Oak Bayou
“Personal flood stories help the SAFER study project team design solutions that match the actual needs of Harris County neighborhoods,” a HCFCD statement reads. “Your voice fills in the gaps behind the data.”
The timeline
HCFCD officials at an August Cypress Creek workshop said the multiyear, multiphase initiative will combine technical analysis with community impact to develop a strategy using both structural and non-structural tools such as detention basins, tunnels and floodplain risk analysis.
The study will be evaluated following a federal planning process that will gather public input at every stage, according to HCFCD. Once completed and approved in 2028, watershed projects can be identified and federally funded.
- Phase 1: summer-fall 2025, community engagement
- Phase 2: fall 2025-winter 2026, tentatively select project plan
- Phase 3: winter 2026-summer 2027, draft feasibility report
- Phase 4: summer 2027-fall 2027, final report submission to federal agency
- Phase 5: fall 2027-summer 2028, Congress authorizes plan
What residents should know
The online survey on the HCFCD website is available for Phase 1 public input until Sept. 25.
